We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annie Tam. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annie below.
Annie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?
Mend Counseling started with me building a solo practice that would provide flexibility, fulfillment, and autonomy. After a few months, a friend reached out to join the practice outside of her full-time job hours. A few months later, a former student from my teaching years decided to do the same. Then it was my best friend’s neighbor…and we needed a bigger office! Little by little, the practice has grown quite organically. Most of the practitioners who work or have worked at the practice have been someone I’ve known or a friend of a friend which has been so fun!
As I’m interviewing clinicians, I’m looking for someone who will fit into our team–someone who has a different or complementary specialty, a welcoming presence, similar values and who truly appreciates the team aspect at Mend. We are a collaborative practice, meaning we collaborate together to support a family or sometimes even the same client depending on the clients needs. For instance, if someone is seeing Sarah for perinatal counseling and she discovers there’s birth trauma that needs to be worked through, the client may come see me as well for EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) work. So teamwork and having a team spirit is crucial.
When someone reaches out to see if we are hiring, I’m typically looking at our current needs in the office–possibly a specialty or certification that we are in need of. The first interview is over the phone followed by a more in depth second interview in the office. Then there’s a team interview where members of the team can meet with the interviewee to ask him/her questions and answer any questions the candidate has without me present. If all continues to go well, references check out, and the team approves, we add a new member to the team.
If I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I believe that God had his hand in all this. His dreams were bigger than I could even imagine. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of pain and difficulties along the way, (times I could have trusted my gut more or had more patience) but this process has helped me grow both personally and spiritually, and I’m forever grateful for that.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I started out as a girl with a dream to live in Paris. I majored in French and Public Relations, studied abroad in Paris, worked as a counselor at a camp in the French Alps during the summers and moved to France after graduation. I was an au pair for the sweetest Parisian family, took cooking classes and worked at the camp whenever I could. After a while, I decided to move back to the states to be near family and friends. I moved into an apartment in Dallas and began applying to jobs in PR as well as teaching, after applying for alternative certification. I began teaching French and public speaking at a local high school where my favorite part of teaching quickly became the relationships. I enjoyed listening to my students stories and supporting them as much as I could. After a student whom I was close with committed suicide, I decided to go back to school for my masters in school counseling. I didn’t realize how much enjoyment I received supporting the French campers in undergrad, I didn’t even think that could be the job for me but thank goodness someone bigger than me had a plan. I was able to work at the same school as a school counselor but I knew I wanted to listen and support more longterm than I could in the school setting. I also began to experience many health issues and knew I needed more flexibility with my time. Thus, my journey into private practice began…
As I mentioned, the plan was to have a private practice but that quickly grew into a collaborative, group practice. Each clinician brings their own specialties and preferred modalities to the group. I’ve always enjoyed working with the young adult population, but as I’ve grown and had a family of my own, maternal mental health has become more of a focus. We work with families, couples, adolescents, and adults dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, spiritual concerns, eating disorders, perfectionism, life transitions, grief and loss, and we coach, counsel and consult depending on the situation and intended goals. The ability to collaborate together to best support the client sets us apart (as well as the beautifully curated space!) Our mission is to offer services that aim to holistically mend brokenness in an individual’s life by developing a safe environment and a strong therapeutic relationship in which one can heal, grow, and live abundantly. We are so proud of our clients and their courage to show up and do the necessary work to heal and grow. I’m very proud of the Mend team–the way they care for clients, each other and model self care.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Let me preface this by saying that I’m a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser. I have always strived to be the best and make everyone happy. At one point in my mid 20’s, I was teaching full time at a high school, teaching dance at a local studio and getting my master’s degree (in person!) full time. What the hell was I thinking?! Towards the end of my degree, my body had nearly completely shut down. I was so sick and couldn’t figure out what was going on. I ended up with multiple diagnosis–Sjogren’s Disease, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. So many autoimmune issues that could have possibly been avoided had I set smarter boundaries for myself and accepted my own humanness. I felt like I was failing at everything because I was so sick. My lack of boundaries was hurting me physically and mentally. Although it was so hard to leave my amazing school and coworkers earlier than I planned, I chose to take a risk for my own health and jump into private practice which led to so much freedom and renewal. Sometimes what takes you down forces you to take a risk that leads to more abundant life.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
Get to really know your team members. Enter into their lives with curiosity and care. Try to understand who they are and what motivates them. If possible, have a professional (me!) come in and do some personality assessment work with the team. Incorporate team activities as much as possible out of the office and give frequent positive feedback. Have quarterly check ins to see how they are doing, address any concerns they have and discuss their goals. Always seek to foster connection and growth and celebrate successes. Your team members want to know that you 1) care about them, 2) desire to understand them, 3) want them to be successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mend-counseling.com
- Instagram: @mendcounseling
- Facebook: Mend Counseling
- Linkedin: Annie Tam
Image Credits
Kristen Dee Photography Dolores & Dean Photography Rachel Benavides